Monday, March 31, 2008

Project Update!!!

Well, I have managed to finish my part of the Girls' Room and I am not kidding when I say that I have taken out 5 big overstuffed black trash bags from that room!!! The laundry pile is amazing, but I am not in charge of that...the girls are. I did the major cleaning and now they have to finish it. I am thrilled to be done and over with that. No I am onto project number 2 for the day. That one I will post later after taking a few preliminary pictures...Perhaps tomorrow you will see a bit of progress and then I shall complete a promise that I made to my father today.

My parents snuck over to visit forgetting that our store was closed and so we couldn't fill up their propane bottles. We will do it tomorrow and my brother will bring them back up. Anyway, the look on their faces when I showed them the completed book of Dragon of my Dreams was priceless!!!! I wrote another story for kids awhile ago and it stems from something that happened at Christmas with my daughter when she was just five years old. He asked that I re-write it and then publish it for the world to see. I think that would be fun and also maybe include some black and white drawings. That is my project for Christmas presents for my entire family. I think they will have a really good time with this one, but we shall see. I will update you on that project as well. Until then....I must begin again!!!!

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Inspiration!!!

I have decided to alter my plans for tomorrow. Instead of trying to work on the frame tomorrow I have instead come up with another plan. It is something I have wanted to do for some time. Now it is the best time. I am going to take corkboards and customize them by painting them for each of the kids. I promise to post the pictures of the beginning middle and the end. I am interested to see how it turns out. I have them all planned. Molly will get a fun little beach scene, Corinna will get a surprise...I can't jsut reveal all of my secrets quite yet!!! Then there is my dear little boy. His corkboard will take the most time. I can't tell you for sure, but here is your hint: "A Star Wars fan he is...yes...Mmmmm!" If you can figure this one out i will be very impressed. my only problem is...I wish I could start work on them instead of cleaning the room!!!! Oh well, i guess I can't have everything can I?

Projects galore!!!!

Tomorrow is D-Day when it comes to the girls' room. It is a search and destroy mission for me. It will be a very long day, but I have plenty of garbage bags and I have a plan for when I am done. First I am going through and throwing away things that are not going to matter whatsoever and get rid of clothes that do not fit nor will fit ever. So, all their little things are going to be gone and then I am going to head out and buy a few things that I find that will be perfect for their rooms. They have no idea what i have instore, but ti will be a good thing. i think they will really get a kick out of it all.

Afterwards, I have a plan for myself. Something I have been wanting to do for awhile. Besides, with Don being out in the garage he will no idea what I am up to...then I can see if he is paying any attention at all. Here is the plan... While he is otherwise busy i am going to take the lovely painting he bought for me last year for Mother's Day of Venice to remind me of the time we spent there. Well, Sicne then I have not like the color of the frame...so, I will take care of that tomorrow. I am going to paint it brown with gold accents. We shall see how I do, but I want to get it all done and reframed before he find out what I am up to....Sneaky that I am!!!! Of course, that is IF I get the girls' room done in time. We shall see what happens. I am hoping only a couple of hours will do the trick. I amy need to fumigate though and I don't think I have quite enough Febreeze to kill all the odors!!!! I am so afraid!!!! I figure that I will have plenty to do the entire day. We shall see what happens. There will be plenty of pictures to scare you all...Trust me!!!

I love....

The stillness of Sunday. For one day in our lives the world completely stops...at least for us anyway and we get to rest our minds , bodies and spirits. Today...I simply attend church and then come home and rest and relax. The rest of the week we just run, run, run and my energy depletes throughout the week. Monday will be a little more relaxing as I will be cleaning out the girls' room and getting rid of things they don't need any longer. Do I want to do it? No, of course not, but it needs to be done and the girls are just not getting the fact that they need to get it done. So, i will take care of it and when they get home their rooms will be left with nothing but what I think they use. They may be truly disappointed, but this is what they will find and they have a greed to it...mainly because I don't think they want to clean their rooms. So, we shall see what their reaction is, but if they do not like it they should have done it ahead of time!!!!
For now though I will relish in the stillness of my favorite day of the week!!!!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Ticket Stop!!!


It was a busy morning at the store today which I am thrilled about. They plastered our store's name over the airwaves which was very helpful and we recovered all the money that we put into the advertising today so in the end I am thrilled to death. Our next time the radio station comes out is May 16th...our one year anniversary of Don and I taking over the store. it's just going to get bigger and better from there. I am sure the insanity of the concert will be even more fun!!! i will post pictures when I get home. I may need a day or two to recover afterwards!!!
I wanted to thank all of my girls who came out to visit and gave me a ring up afterwards to check on me. In the spirit of the day: Y'all are the best!!!!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Finally....


While I was in my junior high years, growing up in probably the absolutely best decade for music...ever..the 80's, a certain concert came to San Francisco...Duran Duran....sigh. I wanted to go and my friend's mother was taking her daughter and said that I could come along, but alas...it was not to be and I missed out on what would have been the best concerts...ever. yes, that was the concert they filmed the footage for the video of the Reflex. I truly was heartbroken. As I got older I would hear Duran Duran had come through and I was so sad that I had missed them.


While running through my friend's blogs I instantly saw that they were coming again...and this time I wasn't too late. I managed to get my hands on two tickets. My hubby had previous plans that he could break if he wanted, but as he knows that Simon was my first love he has gracefully has bowed out and wished me a fabulous girl's night out.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Sad News....

Well, we spent the day in good ol' SF with the kids trying to find SOMETHING to do to keep us happy. Here is what we came up with:






Pier 39- Fun but incredibly changed since the last time we had both been there. It used to be more shops sprinkled with just a few restaurants. Instead, it was more restaurants sprinkled with shops AND the shops that were there pretty much carried the same thing as the next. So, to me it was rather boring.






Aquarium- In an effort to wake us from the boredom we went to the aquarium. Of course, once you have gone to the Monterey Aquarium everything pales a bit in comparison. There was one truly cool area that allowed us to touch bat rays, skates (they resemble rays), and even my personal favorite leopard sharks. The kids had a blast touching the rays which were rather slimy, but were surprised to find how rough the leopard shark's skin felt. It brought me back to my childhood when I played with the baby sharks. That was probably our favorite.






Snack Time- We did stop for a snack. The kids ate their corn dog and nachos while I settled into the giant pretzel. Don opted for the more traditional clam chowder in a sourdough bowl

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Defeated....


I have mentioned this picture a few times in the blog and thought I would share. It helps me to ponder my life and realize while we are in the darkest days that we are really about to succeed. This is how I have felt lately. #1 trying to get back into Relief Society and #2 my weight loss routine. I have given up my Cola since the beginning of the year and now I find myself not drinking soda all that often. I have broken down to bringing a giant glass of ice to work and putting Gatorade G2 in it as it is low calorie. I am doing fairly well with it so we shall see what happens. I just need to walk and get moving now. Perhaps tomorrow we will head over to Marine World and walk all day. That would be great for my health. We shall see what happens. I am determined to finally find the skinny woman that is hiding in the fat suit I wear daily. I am planning on buying a new elliptical machine to work out on every morning while it is quiet in the house. Hopefully it will help. At the very least I hope to not get winded while I climb the stairs in the temple.

Hoppy Easter!!!



Today was a fun day at our household!!!! We gave up on the regular chocolate in the baskets and instead the kids were pleased to find new bikes and helmets waiting for them. After church, the kids asked to go out and ride their bikes. Normally we would say no, but today was a group effort. My dear little Molly had never actually ridden a bike. She crashed on her first try and gave up when she was little. Luckily, enough time had passed to make her somewhat forgetful. She remembered easily when she ran into the bush and scraped up the inside of her arm. She was ready to give up again and then we sat and talked. Through the tears and protests I got her back on her bike and told her not to give up, because I was sure she was going to catch on. After a few go arounds this is what happened!!!

Incredible!!! She caught on and learned that when things were going wrong not to panic but apply the brakes a bit. She was soon racing around the juniper bushes and then stopping after each go around. She will be a champ in no time.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Happy Easter to all...

Easter is a day that reminds me that we can always wipe the slate clean and begin again. Truly I think of our Savior getting resurrected and the fact that it is a new beginning. It gives me hope that I can improve myself with every passing year. Don & I attended the temple with some friends. After the anxious moments of the day I was happy to feel that calmness I crave every so often. After Elder Claudio Costa spoke at our stake conference and encourages us to attend the temple every week our shoulders sank, but Don and I are working our hardest and we seem to make it twice a month. It recharges me and reminds me so much of the most wonderful things in life!!!

Friday, March 21, 2008

A side note...

Just a side note about my last post. I am going to conquer this and I am not worried about that, but in my mind it takes a lot to sort out. I needed to face it eventually. I love the sisters in relief society and my pres is a sweetheart. I think with time the anxieties will pass and I will be fine. It is always the first step that make sit the hardest. So, to my girls....thank you!!!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Anxieties....

I am in the middle of conquering a major problem I have. Most people know me as a fairly laid back person. I am pretty laid back, but there is another side of me...the insecure, not as good as everyone else, boring, geeky, awkward teen. Do you remember feeling that way growing up? I have still never really outgrown them. For the most part, I conquer most of my fears. Flying after September 11th...I did it. Traveling out of the country...no problem. Played with sharks when younger...doesn't everyone?! There is one thing in my life that strikes fear into my heart utterly and completely....Relief Society.

Truly, there is nothing wrong with Relief Society. It serves a fabulous purpose, but I had the unfortunate opportunity to be called to be a counselor in the relief society when I was in my previous ward. I was nervous as this was my first time in any presidency let alone Relief Society. Our president was a woman who to this day makes the hairs on my head stand on end. Now, you also must know about me that I am VERY patient and it really would have not made a difference if I did not like the woman at all...as long as she did her calling and let me do mine. During my time in this calling I was constantly berated by the president and confused by the lack of compassion shown by this woman. Why would Heavenly Father call this woman to lead the sisters if this was the way they would be treated.

Let me give you an instance of how it worked in our ward. I was unlucky enough to contract pneumonia which #1 left me with no voice for six weeks, much to my husband's and children's happiness as I could not tell them what to do...at that point I didn't care anyway. #2 It left me with enough energy to drop off the kids at school, come home, do my deposit for the bank and come home to sleep until it was time to pick up the kids. After that I had literally no energy left whatsoever. I remember laying in bed hearing my lungs crackle as i drew in a slow breath.

Since I was seriously ill and was going to be in the house with absolutely no energy so this particular president decided I needed meals brought in and she wanted to bring in the first meal. She made homemade chicken soup, which I appreciated incredibly and it was delicious I may add. As she stood in my kitchen,my sink was full of dirty dishes and my house was a disaster she commented on how I need to learn to clean better and THAT was why I was sick. This was the pattern that carried on throughout her time as RS President. I counseled with the bishop several times, but was asked to be patient, to try to look for the good in her and help her to grow. Always willing to heed my bishop's advice I agreed and stayed each time. During the time in that calling I lost my love for Relief Society.

Since our ward was eventually dissolved and I was released with the other members I declared that one of the greatest days of my life. Soon after I was called into the primary presidency and worked with a wonderful president who i appreciated showing me how a functioning presidency should be. I have been in primary ever since.

Now, I am simply the ward camp director and camp head cook which leads me back to Relief Society. I can't tell you the anxiety this has caused. I know fully that there is a huge difference in the two presidencies, but still it has given Relief Society a sour note to me. I have to get over this and so i keep coming to the relief society functions but believe me, i cry before going and cry when i get home. Why? i don't know. Don would love to fix this for me, but it is up to me. I will continue to go to these meetings until i feel that love again for the good ol' RS. Until then my dear friends, please be patient with me. It is harder than you truly know!!!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

What was I thinking?!

Ok!!! Here is the latest news going on through my life. I am currently insane and will soon be on the "committed" list. We were handed a deal that we could not turn down. Literally, this was amazing!!! As some of you know our little general store has purchased a concert ticket stop with Kat Kountry 103. They will be stopping at our place on March 28th from 11-1pm to give away tickets to their annual Listener Appreciation Concert. Well, they came in and offered us a sweet new deal that allows them to come not once, but twice. They will also be appearing in front of our store on May 16th also from 11-1pm. Also, we have been asked if we would like to sell some of our products at the concert itself so we will be having a booth here and there. Here is the part that you all are going to just love. At some point I will close up the booth and head over to the VIP meet and greet area where I can relax and watch the concert from a lovely "private" area where occasionally we will all depart and head backstage to meet the get our pictures with the performers. I would love to meet the headliner, Blake Shelton, as I love his song: "Some Beach." I could use a little hug and picture from him...Can't complain at all can I?

Changes...

Life seems to be changing uncontrollably here at our house. First thing that happened was that my daughter grew up. No longer the itty bitty little gal I knew, but instead I now have a teenager, having her period and not to mention the fact that we just added on a cell phone for her. She has so many activities now that she does need a phone to be able to call home and check in or let us know when she is finished so that way she can call and we can pick her up. Needless to say I am thrilled...for the most part. I do remember when my daughter was so small and sweet. She is still sweet but her life seems to be growing independent from mine now. It is sad for me to think that in 5 years my little girl will be preparing to head off to college. Where did the time go? That cell phone is just a symbol of her independence and her teen status to me....I want to smash it!!!!!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

I realized several things today....

I truly realized a great many things today.
#1 I have neglected my spiritual growth. As I sat in Sunday School listening to our fabulous teacher I realized I have neglected to feed my testimony. Sad but true. I am hoping to change that. It will take time, but in the end it will grow.
#2 I miss Primary. As I sat in the quiets of Relief Society I heard our primary belting out the happy birthday tune and I thought how much I missed the kids. It was my comfort zone. I hate being out of my comfort zone.
#3 I am exhausted. As we sat reading scriptures this afternoon with our kids I found myself falling asleep on more than one occasion. Either I am in training to be the first female high priest or I need to find a way to get a bit more sleep. Insomnia is a curse as well as a blessing for my writing
#4 Nothing ever happens smoothly in callings. Expection the imperfections to come through. It is easier to handle things with this attitude!!!
#5 I truly miss vacations!!!!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Just another day....

It is still silent in the house and most are asleep with the exception of my little boy...little ha! The poor boy is turning twelve and will be in young men in just a couple short months. He is still my baby boy and I am sure fits every single description of the phrase "Mama's Boy" He has always been that way. He loves hugs and kisses and has not learned that he is too old for them. May that day never come. Don and I snuck out on the kids with the pretext of going to Costco. We did indeed go where we said we were going to go, but we also headed over to the mall and ran into some ward members. It was interesting because we have never been close to this couple, but i have always admired their happiness and calmness. So, then the interrogation began. Now, truly it is not as dark as I painted, but the brother from our ward began asking questions about our business, how we first met and eventually into my conversion. it was like talking to Diane Sawyer!!! I actually avoided the entire story as we were standing in the mall with people rushing about, but he pressed on wanting to know exactly what it was that caused me to convert. I truly mean he wanted to know. I looked at Don hoping for a way out as I do not tell the story very often. It is special to me. That being said some of you are rolling your eyes as you have heard it, but in the end I shared it with him as Don shrugged and said: "He asked. Go ahead and tell him." So, here is the reason I ended up baptized:

I was twenty years old and I was hanging out with people who I really liked and admired except for one thing...they did drugs and drank alcohol. I put off my teenage rebellion years until then, but as I sat one day slowly sipping on my bottle I watched them after smoking their pot. I have seen them do it several times before and even saw my so called boyfriend smoke it and have a bad reaction. It was laced with something that caused him intense pain. me being a control freak I never did smoke pot because I did not like the idea of myself not having control over my body. So, i watched them. Int he group was a brilliant musician, studied since he was a toddler, an artist and singer and then a computer nerd who could have revolutionized the world with his intelligence....and they were smoking pot. I watched over the course of several months as they became more and more addicted to it and one by one the brilliance and shine of their minds in there chosen fields of study began to dim until they didn't care about it any more. i finally called it quits with them.

At first I used the church as an out. My parents had wanted me to get baptized, but as with everything I had to find my own way. So, I began the missionary discussions. I have always been interested in religion. I consider myself a philosopher of sorts. I think a lot about things and try to make sense of the crazy world we live in. So, when the Elder McCourt asked me to pray about it I agreed, but never expected the answer that I would get. Here is what happened.

After my prayer I went to sleep not feeling happy nor sad or any feeling at all. I was simply tired. Upon falling asleep I began to dream. In this dream I was sitting in a black room wearing a long white dress looking off into the distance, pondering a question. A bright light began to shine from behind and I remained looking off into that distance, but feeling the warmth of the light that was surrounding me. A hand reached down and fell onto my shoulder. I remember turning my head and looking down at that hand. It was my Elder Brother. I smiled knowing it was him, but not having to see his face at that time. I heard the words He spoke to me: "You are going the right way." and I woke up from my dream still feeling the pressure of that hand on my shoulder. Was it still there. I will never know because I didn't look, but I felt it. All I knew is that for some strange reason out of all the craziness in the world happening and those needing more comfort than I, He came to me. The good Sheppard came to find a little lost lamb and heard my bleating calls.

So, my friends. That is how I became a member of this church. I knew that if I was THAT special to me given a message that was so clear and so simple and beautiful then I must have found the true church on this earth.

What was it that brought your heart to convert to the gospel? Convert or not we all have to go through that process.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

One more thing!!!

When you own a general store and you deal with country folk you tend to hear some really great sayings...my rednecks fans would be proud of this!!!!

When asking a customer how his new portable corral worked he said:

"It's great! That thing is slicker than snot on a doorknob!"

Now, if that doesn't at least make you grin...I don't know what will!!!

Introducing....

JAMES.....
From Twilight...the movie. Stephenie Meyers mentioned he was a great piece of "eye candy," but I ahve to admit...not quite my type. I'd take Edward any day over this guy!!!

Two major decisions for me....

Well, my friends, I have been really pondering two major decisions...well, one minor and one major to me. First and foremost, I did try the whole name change of my blog, but to be honest I feel good with Just Me. It's like when a good friend calls up to check on you and she says: "Hey, it's just me." It is a comfortable feeling that I like and that is what I want this blog to be...comfortable.

My second decision is something a little more hefty of a weight. I have thought about it many ways. Here is what has been troubling me: What do I write now? You see, many of you know that I write and it is something that I enjoy. I finished my first novel and it is published with Lulu.com, an online publisher. I am waiting to see, but in a couple weeks it should appear on Amazon.com which will be the most exciting moment of my life...next to my temple marriage and my kids' births...you know, that sort of thing. However, I have been really wanting to write lately, but unsure if I am going to start on the second installment of my novel or if I want to do an entirely different story. The truth is...a new one has fallen into place, but I am going to terribly miss my dear friends in the previous book. So, after a lot of consideration I have decided that I am going to start writing on a different story that nobody has really heard anything about and more than likely will not until it is finished.

You see, in my mind when I am coming up with the story and characters I fit the pieces of the story together like a puzzle in my head before starting up my writing. I do not outline, like most do. I hate the idea because my ideas tend to evolve from my head and not from a piece of paper. I know the basics of the story, but it changes throughout the writing process which is long and drawn out. Needless to say, I am fairly excited because it is a nice little story that is in my head, but I know it will turn into something completely different than what I expect. To be honest, the male character is the easiest of them all. The female character is a bit more complex. We shall see what happens, but as I am typing the ideas flow into my head....it would make a great "Girl's Night Out" movie to go see. Yes, I see the movie and I see the man standing before me. My heart is aching to get started. Why disappoint my heart?!?!?

Why did the chicken cross the road?!?!

To get to the vet's office!!!! A dear friend of mine answered her cell phone: "Trauma Center, Can I help you?" Not unused to a different greeting , yet still surprised to hear the phrase trauma center I asked her what was going on. As most country folk know there will times when another animal gets into your chicken coop. That happened to my friend today. She went back to the coop and found that something had made itself at home and killed many of her chickens. She found one in the back corner hiding because it was seriously hurt. Devastated that her dear chickens were killed she immediately rushed the chicken to the vet where her oldest daughter works. Now, if you know anything about this woman she honestly did not think the silly creature was going to live, but wanted the vet to put her down as humane as possible. She firmly believes in treating animals with kindness and is as great an example of womanhood as anyone could hope for. Well, as she brought it in they took the chicken into the back...much to the horror of the eldest daughter who does not like chickens. She asked her to put the chicken down and then vet thought she could save it. Picture a chicken with an IV to it. Honestly, my friend is fine, but tends to laugh at the bad in life. Here comes the funny part...the chicken laid two eggs while at the vet's office....WOW!!!! So, we lead a very crazy life here in good ol' Cali. I will update you if the chicken made it through the night....who knows what will happen?!?!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

A Recent Survey...

A fellow blogster went out and polled people she came into contact and asked them: "Do you feel lucky?" I thought about that question and wondered how I truly felt. I as the consummate people pleaser will say "yes" no matter what is happening. of course i also say that "I am fine" when my sunbeams were in revolt. So, I decided to actually put some deep thought into this.

Most of the idea of being "lucky" depends a lot on our attitude. If you have a positive attitude then you will always feel lucky, but if you are down and depressed...chance are that you will not feel so lucky.

For the most part, yes I feel truly lucky. I am married to man destined to be my husband. He accepts my quirks and I accept his blindly and I feel lucky that I get to spend all day with my best friend. Of course that does have its downside too, but we won't get into that one quite yet. I have three fabulous kids who drive me bonkers till the end of time, but I figure if Heavenly Father had a hard time getting his children to obey...Garden of Eden...Adam & Eve eating the forbidden fruit...then I must not be doing too bad. I have a roof over my head...that sometimes feels like the money pit, but it is mine. I have a car that runs and has a fabulous anti-theft device...nobody wants to steal a "plum" colored car with the license "Goofmobile" on it. I have food on my table and a warm bed to sleep in. most of all...I have come to the earth in this dispensation where although there is a lot of negativity and evil around the world...there is much good. I have the gospel. I can share it with a friend. I can share it with the world, but most of all I can teach my children.

So, basically in answer to the question...yes, I feel very lucky.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

My favorite things...

A friend recently had a list on her blog about ehr favorite things So, here is my list of favorite things:

-Vacationing with my family (At this point it doesn't matter when)
-My ipod- silly but true, I love to just drop into some of my favorite tunes and let them take me away when I am having a million thigns to do.
- Being released from a calling...simply because I know I have done my best.
-A new calling...new things to learn and new faces to meet.
-the sounds of snow falling...magical
-big rain storms
-going for a walk in the rain
-Tuscan mornings---I miss our breakfasts at the Borgo de Fontebussi. there is nothing like it...ever.
-a good book
-a clean computer screen ready to let my imagination loose on it.
-The characters from my stories talking in my head.
-my kids...good bad or indifferent...I love them.
-jeeps...it's just a Jeep thing.
-my picture of Mulan...it reminds me never to give in to defeat.
-booking people's travel. So much fun!!!

That's my short list. It changes from day to day!!!!

In the dungeon...

Here I sit in the deep, dark dungeon typing my little fingers to the bone. Ok! I confess..techinally it is not a dungeon, but instead my office in the store. I have been sitting at this desk for 5 hours now stopping only to eat the peanut butter sandwich my hubby made me for lunch. This is usually the wrost time of the year for me jsut because there is so much data entry and I cannot stand to be putting in number after number for hours on end. Of course, that is why I am the bookkeeper. Ugh!!! At this point not even chocolate is helping me. This is a very bad sign as that means normally I am heading towards a the cooler that holds my delicious Coca-Cola. Of coruse, beignt hat I haven't had of it in over two months I would more than likely be awake for the next two weeks with all of that caffeine in me. So, needless to say I am dreading walking over towards that silly cooler. Right now I am trying to stay on my Vitamin Water and G2.

What do you all do to releive stress? I feel my muscles tensing up in my shoulders and the swimming pool is much too cold!!!

Monday, March 10, 2008

I can't sleep!!!

I am going to have to wake up in about 5 1/2 hours to get the kids ready for school. However, thanks Mom!!! She was the one that handed down her sleeping issues with me. So, here I sit in the dark for as long as my battery lasts in my little pink laptop. Where shall I start!?!?!?! There is not much going on. My kids were arguing like there was no tomorrow earlier this evening. My son tried to fake taking a bath by ducking his head under the faucet. My hubby never got out of bed or showered today....Ewww? And he wondered why I had no desire for closeness!!! We have a new member of our family. We adopted Robbie...a Dutch Dwarf rabbit. He is my oldest daughter's She checked on him all day today and even brought him inside for a bit to snuggle up with her. He is a good rabbit with a lot of patience...Ideal for this family. my hubby wants us to buy a horse, but honestly WE DON'T NEED ONE!!!!! Yes, I am in a bit of a whiny mood, but who can blame me when I can't sleep.

Yes, I am an incredible chicken for not taking a picture of my new hairstyle...which by the way I really love. I even dyed it a different color. I have a great hairdresser that helps me out. I have had blonde hair since the day i was born. platinum blonde...natural...no kidding. Aside from highlights i have never dyed my hair permanently...well except that bubble gum pink color, but we won't go there!!! Anyway, it has been blonde most of my life and I actually love it. I just needed a bit of a change so, technically I am a blonde through and through...please type slowly...however now I have a bit of red and brown in my hair as well. So, I am still getting used to the cut so it takes me some time to learn to style it. it is fairly short though. Not shaved like 8th grade graduation...another long story....but it is shorter than i normally have had it. That being said...Don absolutely loves the new color and haircut. He loved it the instant that he saw it so I was truly happy. Tomorrow i will show it off to the men at the dump when we unload our truck full of weeds!!!! Yay!!!

Sunday, March 9, 2008

An Entire Day in Bed...

Well, due to my knee deciding not to work properly I was in bed all day today playing on my computer. That is a dream day for me. I started forming my newest story in my mind and I just need to start piecing it all together. Once that is all done I can start writing and I am thrilled about that. Once I get it all outlined I can start writing and honestly I am dying to be in that mode again. I really have a ton of other things to finish up so I may force myself to finish those before moving on, but I know it won't happen. We shall see.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Done for the day....

It was a long day at the store, but we had a good time. we got the work done and I ran my errands with no stress involved. Such a nice change of pace. I really think that it will be easier once the economy picks up. I have been watching my dear hubby over the past few days and I am fully convinced that we need a vacation...Even if that means we close down for a few days extra. I have at least escaped to Girl's Camp, but at the same time neither of us have had a true vacation from the store in several years. So, we will be heading down to Disneyland this September and we are going to be meeting up with some friends down there and we are going to take four days instead of just the two. I am sure everyone will understand and it is a slow time of the year for us and before we really start gearing into the Holiday Season. I think we need it to be honest. Just to bumble around and relax and enjoy ourselves. That is the best part of it. To spend time with the kids and my hubby...and to just to relax a bit. Sounds great to me!!!

Friday, March 7, 2008

An incredible Day!!!!


No, it was not work. We did have a wonderful day and I felt incredibly blessed, but it was what had arrived in the mail that I was really thrilled about. I opened my package and felt an incredible feeling...my first book, in published form. It was the advanced preview copy that I could check out. Yes, I see a few changes that I would like to make, but that is for another time. I put it in with Lulu.com, a self publishing company. It was really fun to see it out. In just a few weeks it will be listed with Amazon.com and we shall see where it goes from there.

A Quote...

I have a list of quotes I hang in the dungeon, my office at work, and I often look over them to really remind me of how I want to be and how I want to grow. One of my favorite is by Mother Theresa:
"If you judge people, you will not be able to love them."
How simple is that? I try to remember that when people seem to go off the deep end. Why should I judge them when I go off the deep end sometimes? I like to remember these, because I find often when people come in feeling miserable and may take it out on me...which happens quite often in the retail world it keeps my sanity in place. I realize, they are having a bad day and leave it at that. Much of the time they come back and apologize for being so grumpy the week before or they simply explain what has been going on. More often than not I am happy that I did not jump all over these people for their behavior towards me. Other times...I just grab for the good ol' chocolate!!!!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

A New Name & Artificial Intelligence

I finally decided on a new name for my blog. "Just me" was just way too boring for the world around me so i settled for Turtle Bay. When we went to Maui two Januaries ago I took my oldest out into Kapalua Bay to snorkle for the first time. Since she fell in love with sea turtles I took her out to show her where there was a green sea turtle hiding under a rock shelf. When we reached the desired spot we were watching as it swam out from under the rock. It had apparently been there for two hours. We followed it for a few moments until it turned and swam straight towards us. Don excitedly watched as it swam inches under me. Aside from swimming with dolphins that was one of the coolest things to happen to me and a memory Corinna will remember forever. Anyway, that is the most relaxing time and incredible time I had sharing with one of my kids. That is the way my life is...experiences with my family...THAT is Turtle Bay to me.

As for the artificial intelligence... Well I had my hair done today. I cut ALOT off. It is shorter than I have had it in many years. The only time it was shorter was when I shaved it along the sides for my 8th grade graduation. I also added some color. Now, you have to understand, I have been a blonde my entire life...naturally. It is very difficult to look in the mirror and see a reddish brown haired woman looking back at me. I love it. I don't normally love anything this quickly, but she blended a deep brown with a red copper and made a great shade....and I still have my blonde highlights so it is not unbelievably dark on me either. I love this woman!!! She is a wonderfully creative woman. So, in answer to your question, no I am not posting my picture on the blog. I hate getting pictures taken so it is not going to happen, but rest assured most of you will see me in church on Sunday...if not at the school dropping off the kids. Oh and by the way here is the joke: "What do you call a blonde who dyes her hair brownish-red? Artificially Intelligent!!!!"

"Mom, you need some Midol...."

That is the phrase that rang through my house this morning. my darling teen telling me that I needed to take a Midol. First off, the Midol is there for her and not me. Second, I am not remotely PMSing. Don will even attest to that. He said the most I get is tired through the entire lovely process. You could have heard a pin drop when I turned around to look at her. My youngest two were like deer caught in the headlights. They froze in place as their eyes grew wide wondering how Mom was going to react. She should be thankful that I am not needing the Midol because I would have screamed "Off with her head!" The Queen of hearts has nothing on me!!!!

I am a freak of nature....


I know I have people popping in and out of my blog and thought I would share one of my deepest and darkest wishes. I desperately want to see a Great White Shark in person. I want to get into a cage and see the enormous shark swim by so close we can look into each other's eyes. Why?! you ask. i am sure I can hear it echoing throughout the world. Here is as good of an explanation I can muster:

I was born in San Diego. often my parents would take us to places like the Scripp's Ocean Center. Sharks fascinated my brother and I. Also, when I was about 3 years old I remember my father fishing...in Mission Bay I believe...and my brother and I would dig the biggest hole we could. It usually measured about 3 feet in diameter. occasionally on his pole he would find baby sharks, since at the time the mother sharks would use the bay as their nursery. Well, my father would unhook the baby and then instead of letting it go back into the water he would give it to my brother and I to "play with" for the day. Now, I will also add he caught sting rays as well, but cut the stinger off before he could unhook the dear chaps from his line...so we played with those as well. We did let them all go just as healthy as they were when they came out of the water afterwards. I have grown up with a healthy respect for sharks...much of it thanks to the entire Jaws series. I can no longer get into a body of water without thinking of the dear creatures...including my pool. So, needless to say I was literally hooked on them. I also love dolphins. They are a tamer bunch but I have already had the luck to swim with them. I am happy.

Someday however, I will take the long trek down to South Africa or Australia where I can hire a crew to take me out, lower a cage and start chumming the water looking for the giant beasts. My dear hubby has opted out on that trip. He doesn't want in the water at all with them...I can't understand why!!!! hee hee!!!

To the salon again....

I got a call from my hairdresser last night reminding me of the appointment for tonight. "I will be there," I answered back...."Will you?" We both laughed and had a good time with it. I am going shorter ladies so we shall see how it turns out. It is hard for me to get it cut shorter but since the spring is coming i think it will be the easiest. I am probably the only woman in the world that is making her appointment for a touch up in the highlights before I go to Camp.
If I hate it...no pictures will surface, but we shall see.

Dear Carlisle....I know you now!!!

I knew Peter Facinelli looked familiar but I couldn't quite place him until I remembered that he is married to Jennie Garth, one of the 90210 alumni. I am still not sure about the way they did his hair in this film. It looks very forced, but we shall see how he does in the movie.

I can prove it!!!

I can honestly prove that Heavenly Father has a great sense of humor. Sunday I was released as Sunbeam teacher and as is the tradition I prepared to teach my last lesson to my challenging bunch. Let me tell you...I had my hands full on certain Sundays, but this one was completely different. The flu had ravaged our ward and only one sweet little Sunbeam showed. The rest were either home with sick family or at a friend's baby blessing. Dear little Kate was our sunbeam. She didn't talk much, which made the lesson very difficult and even more difficult was the dear woman replacing me. She was given a false sense of security. We shall see how everything changes for the little ones. For me, I can now take a deep breath and concentrate on all things that I need to concentrate on.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

A Leap of Faith...

One small step for Don & I...One giant leap for Caldron's General Store!!! Well, we did it! We wrote the check and booked Kat Kountry to come and do a live feed from our store to give away tickets for the Annual Listener Appreciation Concert Set to happen in the beginning of June. We are pretty excited because just to give you an idea of how huge this is around here...for those of my "non-redneck" friends. Over 18,000 people attend this concert every year. the only way to get tickets is to show up to one of those ticket stops and win them. We are one of their stops on March 28th from 11-1pm. It will be complete craziness where the DJ's will come out and do a live feed out here for two hours.We are going to be completely insane that day...for at least three to four hours while the run the show. So, sponsoring the show guarantees Don and I tickets to the concert so we are pretty excited. Here is the catch...the people have no clue who is performing until right before the concert...yes, Don and I know, but our lips are sealed. let me just say... if you are a country fan then don't miss this concert!!!!

Girl's Camp is a comin'....

I never knew that being head cook would be quite so demanding for Girl's Camp. I have changed the menu umpteen times now and as it now turns out I have to change it yet again. At the regional meeting I was told that there needed to be a priesthood holder at the camp at all times to man the generator. Since the administrators were going to church then they decided it was our responsibility to provide that priesthood holder. No problem with that. My problem is that everyone should be going to church at some point. How was I going to pull this one off. Well, that was all solved by the administrators when I talked to them yesterday. There are actually two meeting times. one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Needless to say we were happy to see that!!! So, half of us can attend in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. We shall see how that works, but I am thinking it will be just fine. So, we have it all figured out. my nest hurdle is the Level 3 &4 young women planning their menu for the hikes. We shall see how that one turns out. I am really nerve wracked on that one, but that is a whole other story. We shall see what happens.

It's funny that I naively believed that I was only in charge of the food and not of logistics of going to church and everything. What was I thinking?!?!?!

Monday, March 3, 2008

The Money Pit...

I am quite sure that there are many of you out there who remember the movie: "The Money Pit." I believe it had Shelley Long and Tom hanks maybe. Anyway, more to the point since we bought this house from my in-laws along with the store and property we have learned that this house and everything having to do with it is a huge money pit. Whenever we try to get ahead of the projects we find something else that needs to be fixed more. It was like when I moved the couch to rid myself of the peach colored walls...that color and I do not mix. needless to say when I moved the couch (she so loving left behind as I had enough furniture for an apartment, but not a house) and I found a large crack in the wall about a half an inch thick. So the same went for our backyard. We have had to re-vamp the entire pool and waterfall, but now that we have finished that we had to turn our attention to the deck.


As you can see it is a lovely deck, but what you can't see is the rotting wood from years of neglect. So, we had to tear it down and start from scratch.

Today we were lucky enough to finish off the project we have been waiting for the sun to come out again. So, I am happy to show you the newest project.

I still have much more to go. i am sure I will be laying stones next weekend on the opposite side of our yard. Ugh!! I don't want to think about that!!! My back hurts already!!! Someone pass the Tylenol!!!

Soaring like a bird....


My hubby sat anticipating and crossing his fingers during sacrament meeting. I was released from primary yesterday and I am thrilled that now I can concentrate on camp. I have an entirely new set of challenges that I am up against, but so far once we handle this one little glitch I will be fine. I will survive this and it will be a good thing. I am still learning my calling, but that's true in all callings that you have never dealt with before. You stumble around in the dark for awhile and then eventually you find your way to the sunlight. That is where I am: stumbling, tripping, falling....but getting back up, dusting off my knees, and soon I will walk into the sunlight and jump up into the sky and soar like only the birds can do.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

How Big of Disney Fan Am I?

I have been asked how big of a Disney fan I am and so I will describe a picture that I bought while in Disney World a few years ago. While we were in Epcot there was a Disney Art Studio. I was intrigued by a picture I found framed. It was not only a picture of one of my favorite characters but it reminds often how I feel in my life when I am going through troubles. A year earlier I went to Disneyland and California Adventure with my kids and found a place to test our personalities to see which Disney character we were. Don came out as Mushu from Mulan and no surprise to my family I came out as Mulan. My mother thought it was the perfect choice, not because we look so much alike...wink wink, but because she believed with her whole heart I would put myself in harm's way to save a family member.

Anyway, to make a long story short it is a picture of Mulan during her army training where she felt like failure and couldn't do anything right. She was trying to climb to the top of the pole to retrieve an arrow but had fallen for the umpteenth time. She felt like a failure, but that is just before she makes up her mind to not accept defeat. That has been my attitude on more than one occasion and it is a picture that means so much to me for that reason and not for the signature form the actress that supplied Mulan's voice in the movie. A picture is worth a thousand words....to me it is priceless.

I Met My Match...

In our family, we do not play the Disney Trivia game often as I win far too easily against the kids and others get upset and do not want to play with me ever again. Tonight we went over to some friend's house for dinner and we played it. The challenge was laid out on the table and the game began. I started out really pathetic, but that is fine. I tend to be that way once in awhile. Don managed to make it to the end before the rest of us, but hit bad luck in his rolls. They were my biggest challenge yet and I am thrilled someone is well matched for me. It was a fun evening. there was some deviousness in the second game, but it sure was fun. Hopefully, we did not wear out our welcome and we can get together again sometime. It's good to get together and make new friends.

In about 5 minutes...

In about 5 minutes I will be wandering about the house waking my children from their slumbers. My little boy will groan, my oldest daughter will say: "I'm awake! I'm awake!" and my youngest daughter will completely ignore me when I try to wake her. However, I think I will send my secret weapon....Daddy. Since I wake them up every morning for school and such when he wakes them up it is a treat...why is that? Why can't they wake up for me like that? One of those mysteries I suppose.

We spent last night having dinner with the kids at the old Banta Inn. Normally hopping on a Saturday night it was rather quiet and that was wonderful as I had about as much energy as a slug. We dropped the kids off and went over tot he grocery store to stock up our refrigerator and make it appear as if we have food in the house. Don laughed and said: "How long so you think this food will last?" "Tuesday." I answered back in as serious a tone as I could muster.

I would like to share a funny story about our food. I planned on sauteeing some mushrooms for dinner as there are a few of us that LOVE mushrooms in this house (and if you ever go to the Banta Inn the fried zucchini and fried mushrooms are delicious). well, the night I was going to make dinner i looked down into the mushroom carton and there were mushrooms missing. The first person I thought of was my dear little Molly. I asked her if she ate them and a smile crept across her face. i asked her if she ate them just as they were or how she cooked them. She instantly replied with a little gleam in her eye:

"Well Mom, I took the small pan and warmed up some of your Tillamook sweet butter and then i chopped up three mushrooms and threw them in. i also added some chives and just a tiny bit of garlic for flavor. then I just sauteed them until done."

How could I reply back to that....she's 10!!! Some man is going to be happy with her cooking skills. So far she can make pancakes, omelets, spaghetti, and now sautees mushrooms in her spare time. Pretty soon she will be cooking dinner for us every night!

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Dreams, small may they be, are truly possible...

Being a HUGE fan of Disney they are celebrating the year of a million dreams...for the second or third year in a row. Well, I mentioned a really tiny dream of mine yesterday to my hubby. As most of you may have noticed there is a map on the bottom of my blog that places a dot whenever someone visits that sight. Each of you visiting here represents a dot. Most of my local gals are in the main big dot. I guess you all know where I live now. Go figure!!! Needless to say, I mentioned to my hubby that I would like to see a dot on every continent on that map. Much to my surprise I find this morning dots covering the earth. It made a smile creep across my face. I love my dot in Algeria...something I never expected. So, for all of you around the world I send my greetings and welcome you. For those of you that visit me often, welcome back!!!